State lawmakers reach deal on release of Trump's tax returns

ALBANY - State lawmakers have struck a deal on a measure that would allow Congressional Democrats to get their hands on President Donald J. Trump's state tax returns.

Legislation introduced late Sunday night in both houses of the state Legislature amends an existing proposal — which passed the state Senate earlier this month — that directs the state's tax commissioner to share tax-return information requested by congressional oversight committees.

"The suggestion came up that if what you really want to get at is people who are in positions of authority, and you want to make sure there are no conflicts, let's look at those people and not necessarily every single person in New York," said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

The proposal was dismissed earlier this month by GOP lawmakers, who described the proposal as a partisan witch hunt. In a committee meeting, Sen. Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, called the legislation a "sad attempt to illegitimize an election and a president."

"What's the next step? Because this isn't going to end," Tedisco said. "After you get his taxes, you're going to want to get his number of suits he has and where he buys them and the cost of them and what he did in the kindergarten."

There is no federal requirement for presidential candidates to disclose their private financial information, but it's a custom every other president since the Watergate era has followed.

State law already allows tax returns to be shared with other states and federal agencies.

The original legislation would create a new exception for congressional oversight committees with a "legitimate legislative purpose," direct the tax commissioner to redact personal information and apply to any New Yorker.

The measure introduced Sunday, known as a chapter amendment, specifies what information should be redacted, including portions of a federal tax return, and creates a stricter standard for releasing state tax returns.

Despite congressional Democrats not actively calling for New York to pass the legislation, Heastie said they will likely pass the measure on Wednesday.

"This can be just like in case of emergency, break glass type of legislation," he said.

The state Senate is also expected to pass the measure Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the legislative schedule.